The Center for Creativity offers opportunities for creative expression, free and open to all students

The center for creativity is a space that provides students and staff with free resources to express their innovative side. The C4C has three locations on campus, each offering special materials, events and opportunities, such as: Open mic evenings and bookmaking materials.

Erik Schuckers, C4C communications and program manager, emphasized the welcoming atmosphere that all C4C locations strive to create.

“We welcome beginners and amateurs and work to create a sense of community,” Schuckers said. “Where more experienced makers can share their knowledge and where makers from different areas can meet each other and initiate ideas and collaborations.”

C4C offers a range of materials at each of its locations, from craft supplies to musical instruments and other craft materials. Schuckers emphasized that the center hopes to have something for every student.

“Our focus is on the process and not the product,” Schuckers said. “It doesn’t matter what You create – that’s important You create. We need divergent thinking, thoughtful risk-taking, flexibility and curiosity to engage with the world and each other, and these are precisely the skills that creation develops.”

The first C4C location was founded in 2016 The workshopis located in the basement of the University Store on Fifth. Ariel Skovera, C4C Workshop staff member and creative assistant, discussed the site’s available materials.

“The [location]“I always say it’s more of an arts and crafts space,” Skovera said. “There’s a whole ‘replica wall’ with a lot of materials like shells, found objects, different things for collage wallpaper, different jewelry making tools… We have a clay room with air dry clay and a throwing wheel… a splatter room.”, acrylic paints. We have 3D pens, a laser printer, a sewing machine with different fabric materials.”

Students and staff simply need to hand in their Pitt ID card at the front desk to gain access to the workshop. You can use whatever is available in the room and work on projects across multiple sessions if necessary.

“Everything is free to use [in] the room,” Skovera said. “It’s also just a good area for collaboration. People work on things and see what other people are working on. You get to socialize… I’m always impressed by what some people have been able to do in just three hours.”

Rankin Tran, a 2024 Pitt graduate and Pitt employee, has used the space many times for his own projects.

“Sometimes I come here and just see what I want to do with all the resources,” Tran said. “I usually work on small things. I came here to fix a broken umbrella. [or] Just to add some sparkle to random things that I think could use it.”

Tran recalled his first encounter with the C4C workshop space.

“I think I was just walking around campus and just came here,” Tran said. “It’s a great resource to escape the hustle and bustle of daily homework, exams or studying. It’s really very cathartic to just be in a creative space where you can just flow.”

C4C’s second location is The substoryis located in room B50 in the basement of the Cathedral of Learning. This space “specializes in music and performance” and is the place where students can get involved Open mic eveningssaid Chloe Baierl, a 2020 Pitt graduate and assistant at C4C.

“We have music practice rooms with a podcast studio and recording equipment,” said Baierl. “There’s an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar and a bass drum set, a keyboard… And in this room there’s also just a lot of space to relax… It’s kind of like a meeting place in the cathedral itself.”

Understory is a place where students can “come and try it out,” Baierl said. At open mic nights and other events, students can get involved in everything from musical expression to puppetry.

“Even if you don’t consider yourself creative or don’t play instruments, I think it’s really cool to have access to those things,” Baierl said.

The Text and context laboratoryC4C’s third location, located on the third floor of Hillman Library. Amanda Hudgins, C4C creative assistant, highlighted how the lab is different from the other spaces.

“The way they sell it is usually like this [that] “You can make a book from scratch,” Hudgins said. “Everything from paper to printing, and then we do a number of other processes that are more analogue.”

The Text & conText laboratory also has a vintage iron letter press that can also be used by students and staff.

“There aren’t very many in the world, and there are even fewer that are actually actively available to people here,” Hudgins said. “Many of them are museum pieces, but [this one] is actively in use. Someone printed something [it] literally today.”

Hudgins encourages students and staff of all creative levels to check out the C4C.

“In general, the C4C rooms are really great opportunities to try out new hobbies,” Hudgins said. “It’s a nice way to experiment and find out things you wouldn’t otherwise discover.”